Short-term Vs long-term approach to pallet truck purchase

Over the busy Christmas season, many businesses find that they are swamped with more orders than they expected, and have to take emergency precautions to ensure that they are prepared for the onslaught. For those working in environments like warehouses, factories and distribution centres, pallet trucks are an integral part of every working process, and if the number of trucks is falling short, it can be tempting for managers to simply rent one on a temporary basis or buy a second-hand truck. However, this approach is fraught with risk, and could result in a company either spending more money than they intended, or receiving faulty or malfunctioning apparatus that won’t serve their purpose.

International research company, RedShift, found that around 10% of the hand pallet trucks used in warehouses across Europe are rental trucks, with many of these brought in to cover emergency surges in business. But what many companies fail to realise is that, if there is a chance that they might be short of equipment at any point in the year, the most cost-effective solution is simply to invest in extra trucks, rather than bring in second-rate ones when there is more work to be done.

Renting extra trucks with specialist ability such as high lift pallet trucks or weighing scale pallet trucks every single Christmas or busy season is a drain on budgets and resources; it may seem like a budget-friendly choice at first, but when bringing in new temporary equipment on a regular basis, the cost can soon mount. This money could be sensibly invested into a high-quality truck which will last for many years to come. They can easily be placed into storage when they are surplus to requirements and they are resistant to rust and corrosion, so they will be as good as new when they are brought out once more.

There is also the issue of quality control when acquiring pump trucks on a rental basis. The vast majority of trucks which are leased to businesses will be in working order enough for them to perform basic functions, but they may have any number of faults which haven’t been picked up on. This can not only slow down working processes as staff learn to contend with the truck’s defects, it can also compromise staff safety. Renting a pallet truck might seem like a cheap and effective short-term option, but businesses should always be looking to the long term effects of their decisions.

About Pallet Trucks UK: Pallet Trucks UK is part of the Midland Bearings Ltd Group. It occupies a 60,000 sq ft distribution warehouse containing over £7 million worth of materials handling stock available for immediate shipping.